Facebook Is Building a $1 Billion Data Center in Iowa

Facebook is going big ... in Altoona, Iowa. The social network is reportedly building a $1 billion data project center that will cover 1.4 million square feet, making it "the most advanced data center in the world."

The project, which goes by the code name "Catapult," will be built in two $500 million phases, bringing the total cost somewhere near $1.5 billion. Neither Facebook nor state leaders would comment on the project, but apparently Facebook is seeking wind energy production tax credits, according to TechCrunch.

Facebook is no a stranger to building data centers, as evidenced by its Open Compute Project, which "aims to build the most efficient computing infrastructures at the lowest possible cost," according to its site. The Iowa center will be no different, as the company is positioning it near an extensive interstate fiber-optic cable that runs along Interstate Highway 80, as well as several power and water utilities.

For a city like Altoona, the venture could transform it into a digital hub on par with Facebook's data centers in Oregon and North Carolina, says TechCrunch.